Mikar Fisher: A Brit in Hanoi, No.2 in PYCL

Mikar Fisher is an English pro based in Hanoi, Cartivo Movers' top scorer, number two among the men and number four overall in the Philippines' professional league. Chris Beaumont catches up with him at nine o'clock at night in Manila to talk about the Pickle Yard Conference League (PYCL), now in its second season.

We start with the Dream Breaker: four chances, two or three points that really matter, and why Cartivo have been struggling in it — not breaking even at two-all, and in some matches losing all four.

Then how he arrived in the league. Mikar has had chances to sign elsewhere and held off, because without leverage "they're going to sign you for as cheap as they can get you." PYCL wanted to help him build that profile, and the league has drawn 10.5 million views since it has been on.

His story runs through tennis: his dad was his first coach, played Davis Cup and later coached Heather Watson; a US college scholarship; a high-performance tennis job; then a favour for a friend that became an obsession. He picked up a PPA bronze in Tucson, ended up drilling in Kansas with players including Jack Sock, sprang the plan on his wife, left his job and moved to Asia full time.

Why Vietnam? The week-in, week-out level is very high — tennis, ping pong and badminton players mixed in, not just a tennis-based field — and the cost of living is lower. Why not the US circuit? Pay $1,500 for a flight, maybe do less well, and even if you do well you can take home less prize money than if you stay closer to home.

On PYCL: Cartivo are the youngest team in the league, with most of the drafted players still in school. They started well, then got complacent, and he talks about managing energy with a group doing this for the first time. Cameras, a huge live audience, playing for Team England ("having Megan on the team was huge"), a Welsh dad and a Filipino mum, coming back to her home and meeting family he had never met, and a career that, a couple of years ago, he would have told you to jog on.

PYCL Season 2 runs to the final on 27 November.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: what's going wrong in the Dream Breaker

01:11 Welcome: PYCL and Mikar Fisher

03:13 How he ended up in the PYCL

05:06 Building leverage, and 10.5 million views

06:57 Pro pickleball in Vietnam

08:21 Why pickleball is easier to break into than tennis

08:58 Growing up: dad the tennis coach

11:06 College tennis in the States

13:18 A high-performance tennis job

14:42 First hit of pickleball

15:22 Getting obsessed, then the country club

16:29 Mike Wolf, Jack Sock and drilling in Kansas

18:57 Leaving the job and moving to Asia

20:11 First weeks in Vietnam

21:49 Does the money work?

23:24 The Asian paddle market

26:28 Why Vietnam: high level, week-in week-out

28:21 Two roads: star at home, or try the US

30:53 How the game is growing

32:34 Ten million people watching the league

33:20 Playing in front of the cameras

34:14 Cartivo: the youngest team in the league

36:37 Managing energy when a young team wobbles

38:52 Raw talent and flair in the Philippines

40:44 Coaching a sport that is still this new

42:04 How the best train: short, hard intervals

43:19 Desire, and kids you cannot bully with strength

45:28 Team England and a shout-out to Megan

47:20 Welsh dad, Filipino mum

48:48 "I would have told you to jog on"

49:21 What's next for Cartivo

50:35 The playoff picture

52:06 Wrap-up

Guest: Mikar Fisher

Host: Chris Beaumont

The World Pickleball Podcast, from World Pickleball Magazine. Subscribe and tell your friends.